Windows into the fantastic, from crypts to cobras, swords to submarines, rubies to railroads, heaven to hell and places stranger still. Heroes, horrors, and hijinks--both original to this collection and reprinted from a variety of sources--from the mind of Ari Marmell, author of The Conqueror's Shadow, The Goblin Corps, Darksiders: the Abomination Vault, the Widdershins Adventures series, and more.In Strange New Words, let Ari Marmell guide you through over a dozen windows into the fantastic. Heroes, horrors, and hijinks await you, including:"The Cemetery Wyrm": A childish fascination with the old, pitted monument was understandable, but not the ongoing obsession-or his certainty that the effigy was something more . . ."The Purloined Ledger": In the early days of the Great Depression, a PI who is far more than he appears must outwit a gangster whose efforts may have turned to sorcery."The Shaman's Tale": Why do the proud and warlike orcs serve always as the minions, never the master? The answer lies in the mists of the oldest orcish legends . . . A brand new story set in the world of The Goblin Corps!"Railroad Spikes": He thought the train was easy pickings, treasure ripe for the taking. He was very, very wrong. Saw meets The Great Train Robbery in a steampunk Wild West."The Rubies of Olun-Zeth": In a brutal, vicious land ruled by brutal, vicious gods, Lathaan the Heretic knows that the promise of treasure is a promise rarely kept. But what if . . . ?"Big Apple, Small Serpent": Loosed from the confines of her tiny world, this little Egyptian cobra was never going back to her exhibit. She was free, and would remain so-no matter what it took."Reaver": Was the evil in the ship that had grounded itself on Lincaster's docks, or had it always festered in Lincaster itself? A full-length novelette."Twenty-One-Oh": In a dystopian future of all-power corporations, missing a deadline on even a simple delivery can cost you a lot more than just your job . . ."Tithe": It is a theme common to the tales told every girl and boy of the fairy courts: Never trust a bargain made with the tricky and treacherous human race."Than to Serve in Heaven": It was an offer even Lucifer couldn't pass up. Still, through it all, he wondered, and the angels with him. Why would God put him in charge of Heaven?"The Ogre's Pride": Unlike his bloodthirsty brethren, Davro the ogre just wanted to be left in peace. Still, some insults cannot be ignored, and some things are always worth fighting for."In Deepest Silence": The USS San Jacinto should have been prepared for anything in the ocean's depths-but you cannot prepare for what cannot exist!"One Solitary Scale": Only the sculptor himself knew he had traded his soul for his talent. Now he had found a way to break that bargain, but had he merely traded one Hell for another?